Funeral-car



om 9 m V. o N d e .I n nu t a P L D nn B L G L lm FUNERAL CAR.A

(Application illed Dec. 13, 1897.)

2 Sheets-'Sheet I.

(No Model.)

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No. 6|3,5o7.

Patented Nov. l, |898. J. J. GILBRIDE.

FUNERAL CAR.

(Application led Dec. 13, 1897.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

1H: cams PETERS co, Puorouno.. wAsNmoToN. n. c.

UNITED STATES i PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN J. GILBRIDE, OF PITTSTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

FU NERAL-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 613,507, dated November 1, 1898. Application filed December 13, 1897. Serial No. 661,668. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN J. GILBRIDE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittston, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Funeral-Cars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention, as will be hereinafter fully described, claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, made a part of this application, has relation to funeral-cars; and it consists in certain details of construction and novel combination of parts deemed necessary to provide a car of the character specified which will not only accommodate in a separate compartment the casket containing the dead, but will also provide a compartment for the comfortable transportation of the mourning friends to and from the place of interment. i o

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation showing an exterior view of the preferred form of car-body to be employed, while Fig. 2 is a central horizontalv section thereof, taken below the roof-line. Fig. 3 is an elevation looking toward the interior of the car, parts being in section on line x x of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective view illustrating myimproved adjustable bier. Fig. 5 is a detail section showing one corner -of my improved bier, illustrating the adjustable supporting-leg in a folded position. Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate cooperating members employed for supporting the body-section of the bier, which will be hereinafter more specifically referred to, while Fig. Sis a plan andv a central transverse sectional view of another form of supporting-bier.

The several details of my invention willbe referred to by figures, the same gure of reference being used to designate the same part throughout the several views.

Briefly stated, my invention consists in providing a funeral-car which will have a compartment for the casket and a separate passenger-compartment, and, further, in certain details for facilitating the handling of the bier and casket.

Referring in detail to the several features involved, 1 illustrates the car-body, which may be made to have any preferred outline or general appearance,- though I prefer to provide a car-body which will be provided with a forward casket-receiving compartment 2 and a passenger-room 3, said compartments being separated from each other by a preferably movable partition consisting of the sections 4 and 5,said sections being adjustably held in position by the side cleats or studs 6 and the retaining or locking bar '7,

which is designed to pass through the staples 8, permanently attached at a suitable point to the said sections, it being understood that when it vis desired that the car shall be used without a partition said sections may be readily removed from their position and stored at the station or other convenient point.

The passenger-compartment 3 is provided with a series of seats 9, arranged in any preferred way, either transversely or longitudinally, as deemed most desirable, while the floorof the compartment 2 is provided, preferably at a central point therein, with an aperture, over and around which is placed the anchoring-plate 10, having the integrallyformed or otherwise attached internallythreaded collar 11, designed to receive the threaded shaft or bolt 12. i v

The upper end of the threaded shaft l2 is provided with the enlarged disk-like head 13, having upon its upper surface an anchoringstem 14, which is designed to be receivedby the retaining-slot 15 provided in the disk 16, which latter is connected to the bottom of the bier at a central point thereon by woodscrews or other preferred means, and it will Abier will be supported in a thoroughly reliable manner and may be easily adjusted vertically by simply rotating the saine upon the threaded shaft.

In order that the ends of the bier may be reliably held in an adjusted position and that the centrally-threaded shaft 12 may be reinforced, I provide the combined legs and handles, preferably disposed at each corner of the bier and consisting of the tubular section 18 and the adjustable foot-section 19, said parts being designed to telescope, thus making the combined legs and handles shorter or longer, as desired, the desired adjustment being secured by the set-screw 20.

The tubular section 18 is provided with the journal end 21, disposed at right angles tothe tubularsection, said journal 21 being received by suitable bearings or sockets 22, Which, being located at the proper point underneath the bier, will permit the combined legs and handles to be extended in a plane parallel with the plane of the bier or dropped down- Ward into engagement with the floor when the proper'adjustment of the threaded shaft has been effected, thereby reinforcing said shaft and supporting the ends of the bier and preventing it from further rotation after adj ustment.

At either end of the bier I mount in suitable bearings the antifriction-rollers 23, designed to more readily enable the casket to be placed in position, and in order that the casket may be held against casual displacement until transit I provide a series of longitudinally-disposed threaded apertures 24 and a series of transversely disposed threaded apertures 25, designed to receive the threaded stem of the set-screw 2G, which being properly located in the aperture next to the end or side of the casket will engage therewith and prevent endwise or lateral displacement thereof.

As a means for providing ornamentation for the bier and also as handles, if so desired, I provide the side rails 27, connected with the bier in any preferred Way. In order that the parts employed for supporting the bier may be hidden from view, I provide the curtain 28, which may be sufficient in extent to e11- tirely inclose said parts, the upper edge of the curtain being secured in any preferred way to the edge of the bier.

In Fig. 8 I have illustrated another form of support for the casket to be employed for the accommodation of varying sizes of caskets, as may be seen, that the smallest size may be accommodated by the inner graduation or section 29, the next larger one being received by the graduation 30, the next larger and the largest size of casket being received, respectively, by the graduations 31 and 32, it being understood that the number of said graduations may be increased or diminished as desired.

It will be understood that any suitable form of car-body may be employed and that a slight modification of the interior details may be made without departing from my invention, and I do not therefore wish to be held strictly to the exact showing I have made.

It is thought that the use of the appliances above described will he readily apparent, though it may be stated that when it is desired to introduce the casket into the compartment 2 the same may be done by opening the sliding doors 33 and 34, provided upon either side of the car, it being understood that end doors may also be provided for the more convenient reception of the living. The casket is then moved in position over the rollers 23 until resting properly upon the bier 17, when the set-screws 2G are properly adjusted, it being understood that the bier will have been previously adjusted to the desired height. It will be further apparent that the entire bier may be readily removed from the car by rotating the same until it rests transversely with respect to the car, when the anchoring-stem 1li may be readily withdrawn from the slot 15, thus enabling the bier to be removed to the place where the casket is to be received thereby, or the casket may be carried upon the bier by means of the combined legs and handles.

It will be seen that I have provided a reliable means for the purpose specified and that the interior details can be readily applied to or removed from any car, thus fitting it forservice as a funeral-car, renderingit unnecessary, as is common upon funeral-trains, to dispose of the casket in connection with others in a separate car.

By the construction I have provided herein the friends of the dead may accompany the remains to the place of burial with assured privacy and convenience.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Arailway-car provided with a compartment, a support therein to receive a casket having a graded top to fit caskets of different sizes, and doors in the car opposite said compartment, all arranged as set forth.

2. A railway-car provided with a compartment, a threaded support for a bier rigidly attached to the iioor of the compa1tment,said bier having a slotted disk in its under side, a threaded screw having a disk-like head and an anchoring-stem fitting said slotted disk and cooperating with said threaded support, all arranged as set forth.

3. A railway-car provided with a compartment, a rotatable support for a casket in the compartment having a slotted plate on its bottom, a threaded stem havinga head fitting said slotted plate and a plate on the bottom of the car having a threaded aperture to receive said threaded stem, whereby the height IOO IIO

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on said support to sustain it in an adjusted position until removal, and a series of gradu- 1o ated seats located upon the upper surface of said support whereby Gaskets of Varying sizes will nd a seat and be retained thereby, allv arranged as set forth.

In testimony whereof I afx my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN J. GILBRlDE.

Witnesses:

WM. T. MUNDY, PETER MCELHENNY. 

